Why is styrene and propene non-polar?

Question

Caleb Adams · Accepted Answer

Well #C-C# and #C-H# are very non-polar bonds......

For a #C-H# bond there is only marginal charge separation between the bound atoms; for a #C-C# there should be no charge separation, as the bound atoms have no difference in electronegativity. For ethylene, #H_2C=CH_2#, even if there were bond polarity, the molecular dipole would be zero because of the symmetry. Maybe styrene, #C_6H_5CH=CH_2# should be a little more polar, however, the difference should be marginal. Anyway, a styrene monomer is not going to stick around too long before it polymerizes.

Ellie Andrews · Answer

undefined Styrene and propene are non-polar molecules because they consist primarily of carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds, which have similar electronegativities, resulting in a symmetrical distribution of electron density and no significant dipole moment.

Axel Alvarado · Answer

undefined Styrene and propene are non-polar molecules because they consist of only carbon and hydrogen atoms bonded together with nonpolar covalent bonds. These bonds have similar electronegativities, resulting in an equal sharing of electrons and no significant partial charges within the molecules. Therefore, there is no overall dipole moment, making both styrene and propene non-polar.